5 Women Try Glossier’s New Milky Oil Makeup Remover

Glossier has me wrapped around its little finger. What can I say? As with most millennial women, the brand just gets me. I can’t resist the baby-pink packaging, the cutesy names (how was I supposed to say no to something called Cloud Paint?) and the promise that maybe, despite the fact that my skin requires more coverage than its "your skin but better" formulations provide, I could still be a girl who wears barely there foundation. I anticipate every new launch so much I buy it blindly—just so I can be a part of the hype.

But of course, brands can't survive on hype alone, and despite the buzz over its branding, Glossier has delivered some genuinely good products, which explains why basically everyone you know is obsessed with Boy Brow. My favorite happens to be the unassuming Milky Jelly Cleanser, a gentle face wash with a very divisive name (I love it because there’s really no other way to describe the texture). I find Milky Jelly so delightful that it actually makes me excited to wash my face, so it should come as no surprise that I was thrilled when the brand announced the launch of Milky Oil makeup remover, the perfect companion to my beloved cleanser.

Milky Oil is a bi-phase makeup remover made up of a "perfectly proportioned combination of micellar water and weightless oil," and the brand promises it won't leave a greasy or sticky residue. The bottle is absurdly cute—the liquid inside reminds me of a baby-doll bottle, while the packaging itself is reminiscent of contact solution. It's got a controlled dropper that can be used to precisely wipe away makeup mistakes. It’s very compact, but at $12 for 3.4 ounces, it’s a great entry-level price point for the brand.

The oil and the micellar water work in tandem to both break down the makeup on your skin (that'd be thanks to the oil) and remove it completely (hat tip to the micelles). Milky Oil also contains comfrey root extract and vitamin B5 to help moisturize and soothe stressed skin. It doesn’t have the same fresh rose scent as Milky Jelly—it's fragrance free—but has the same comforting feeling. The Milky family is, unsurprisingly, made to go together. The brand says the Oil is great for removing stubborn makeup like mascara and liquid lipstick, while Jelly breaks down foundation and cleanses your skin.

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I was hooked after the first use, but I’m a self-diagnosed Glossier addict. To get a true sense of how Milky Oil works, I called in some of my fellow Glamour editors, all of various makeup-wearing levels, to give it a go. Read on for our honest thoughts.

Halie LeSavage, fashion features associate

First impression: "Milky Oil looked too cute to work. It comes in a baby-formula-looking bottle with a pink cap, and its contents are super separated. I wasn’t sure if I’d want to slather the contents on my entire face, so I started with a lip test."

How did it work? "Dark matte lipsticks—in navy, plum, or bordeaux—are my beauty essential. As great as they look on, they can be difficult to take off, so I was intrigued by Glossier’s Milky Oil remover. I swiped on some of my favorite long-wear navy matte lipstick. Then I dabbed at my lips with a cotton swab dotted with the remover. Pressing the cotton swab to my lips soaked up much of the color instantaneously, and there was no hint of the chemical taste that makeup wipes have. It wasn’t the neatest removal process—the oil transferred some of the lipstick from my lips to the skin around my mouth—so I needed extra wipes, but the end result looked as though I hadn’t worn lipstick at all. Makeup wipes are officially dead to me."

Would she buy it? "Having tried it, I would definitely buy it. Most makeup removers need some vigorous scrubbing to take off all of my lipstick. This one was gentle."

Marla Goller, video producer

First impression: "I'm not really a cleansing-oil kind of girl, so I'm not going to lie, this made me nervous."

How did it work? "With a name like Milky Oil, I was expecting Glossier's makeup remover to leave my face feeling greasy and oily, but I was pleasantly surprised with how satisfyingly smooth my skin felt. My makeup came off smoothly and easily too. I'm definitely impressed. The only thing is that it made my skin a little red at first, but it cleared up after a few seconds."

Would she buy it? "I wouldn't have bought it before trying it, but now I would definitely buy it and would recommend it to friends."

Bella Cacciatore, beauty assistant

First impression: "It's so incredibly cute I couldn't wait to bring it home and display it in my medicine cabinet. However, I don't know if I trust Glossier to make a makeup remover powerful enough to cut through anything more than a whisper of eyeshadow."

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How did it work? "I'm throughly impressed by this. It totally removed my Tom Ford liquid liner in one clean swoop, with no bleeding or black residue left behind. It didn't leave a greasy film or irritate my eyes, as many makeup removers tend to. When it came to my waterproof mascara, I still needed another cleanse to 100 percent remove it, but Milky Oil did the bulk of the work."

Would she buy it? "I usually stick with drugstore makeup remover, but for $12 I would definitely upgrade for something so cute and so effective."

Tara Gonzalez, commerce editor

First impression: "I was skeptical initially. I only ever use a makeup wipe to remove my makeup and never use a liquid makeup remover because I find them messy. With a liquid, it always feels like I have to scrub my makeup off, as opposed to wiping it off quickly with a facial wipe. I'm a sucker for packaging, though, and really wanted to try Glossier's Milky Oil because it looked so cute."

How did it work? "This product felt really nice on my skin whereas makeup remover solution usually really stings or feels uncomfortable for me. I also didn't have to apply that much to remove my makeup, which is not often the case. Most of the time I have a pretty hard time removing my red lipstick, but it came off faster than usual with Milky Oil."

Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

First impression: "At this point, Glossier could make an $18 bottle of water and I'd buy it. Why is everything so irresistibly cute?"

How did it work? "I'm an evangelist for double cleansing (that is, first cleansing with an oil-based cleanser to remove makeup, then following that up with mild cleanser). Ever since I started doing it, I've noticed fewer breakouts. I think Milky Oil is good first step for spot removal—especially for eye makeup. It's gentle on my sensitive eyes (a must for contact wearers) and doesn't leave a greasy cast behind like some makeup removers. Truth be told, I can't tell too much of a difference between it and my favorite micellar water, but that bottle certainly doesn't look as cool."

Would she buy it? "I like it. I honestly do. But I need a bigger bottle that's going to last me a longer amount of time. As a regular lipstick and mascara wearer, I could see myself going through this in a month easily. That said, it makes a good travel remover."